Star National Desk
Law enforcers in fresh drives destroyed more poppy fields during the last one week. Poppy fields on 18 bighas of land were destroyed during three separate drives in Shahbazpur union under Shibganj upazila in Chapainawabganj district in last seven days, reports our correspondent.
Earlier law enforcement agencies destroyed poppy fields in villages near Myanmar and Jhenidah borders, and seized poppy plants and seeds in Khulna city.
Narcotics Control Department found the poppy fields in bordering Chapra, Koilabari and Pardilalpur villages in Shibganj upazila under Chapainawabganj district, said Abul Kalam Azad, officer-in-charge of Shibganj Police Station.
Acting on a tip, officials of narcotics control officials and Shibganj police led by Upazila Nirbahi Officer Abu Taher Mohammad Masud Rana raided Chapra village on Sunday and destroyed the poppy plants grown on two bighas of land in the village, some 45 kilometre from the district town.
M Hossain of Monakash in Shibganj upazila cultivated poppy on the land taking lease from a villager.
Hossain went into hiding after the poppy field was detected.
The law enforcers raided Koilabari village in the same union and destroyed another poppy field on ten bighas of land Saturday evening.
The team destroyed six bighas of poppy field in Pardilalpur village under Shibganj upazila and arrested Zamirul, 25, Rafiqul, 37, Nasim, 26, Elius, 65, and Rasel Babu, 18, hailing from different villages in Shibganj upazila on February 25.
After taking lease from the villagers, several people cultivated poppy on the lands. Farmers in the neighbourhood remained in the dark about poppy cultivation as the poppy growers told local people that those were oil producing plants, said Tozammel Haque, chairman of Shahbajpur union.
Narcotics Control Department lodged three separate cases with Shibganj Police Station against twelve people in this connection with poppy cultivation in the three places.
Earlier on February 9 and 10, army and BDR personnel aided by paratrooper commandos destroyed poppy fields on large areas in remote Sangu Reserve Forest under Bandarban district near Myanmar border, reports our Bandarban correspondent.
A few criminal groups allegedly force the locals to grow poppy there.
Narcotics Control Department with the help of police, Rapid Action Battalion and BDR on February 21 destroyed a poppy field on five bighas of land at Nepa village under Moheshpur upazila in Jhenidah district, reports our Jhenidah correspondent. An Indian citizen had ‘leased’ the land to cultivate poppy there.
Narcotics Control officials on February 22 recovered 188 poppy plants and seeds from a nursery in Khulna city, reports our staff correspondent from Khulna.
Courtesy of www.thedailystar.net
